MEDIA FOUNDATION FOR WEST AFRICA (MFWA) HOLDS PUBLIC FORUM ON DIGITAL AGE AND MISINFORMATION

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        Participants at the MFWA Forum on Misinformation

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has hosted a national conference under the theme: Misinformation, Peace, and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana. The program held on Wednesday, March 22 2023, at the Alisa hotel in Accra, brought together security personnel, media industry players, politicians, students and other stakeholders in the media.

    Professor Samuel Kwadwo Boateng Asante,Chairman at the forum       

The chairman for the program, Professor Samuel Kwadwo Boateng Asante, popularly known as Professor SKB Asante, a Ghanaian lawyer and the paramount chief of Asokore in the Ashanti region, who is also a Board Member of the National Peace Council, asserted that "it is known from the political experience of some countries that negative political campaigns hurt and that misinformation or disinformation can have a negative impact," adding in the concluding section that "the challenge before us is how to address the deleterious effects of misinformation without stiffening our young democracy."

Mr. George Sarpong, Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC) who was the keynote speaker debunked a lot of misconceptions about internet regulation. In his address, Mr. George Sarpong, made a compelling case for the use of constitutional regulatory measures to combat misinformation and disinformation. "Media information literacy and fact checking can help address misleading information, but they have limitations, it can only be done after the harm has already been done," he stated. He added that, "before you forward a particular information, check, double check, triple check, check and verify as much as you can".

      Panel discussion by Stakeholders on misinformation and disinformation

Representatives from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana's media watchdog, and Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Center, in a panel discussion educated the general public on the need to stop the dissemination of false information in a democratic state like Ghana, especially as the country approaches the general elections in 2024.

     Participants at the forum

According to Hon. Alhassan Suhiyini, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) representative in parliament for Tamale North; one of the main causes of misinformation and disinformation is legacy media's failure to uphold the standard of verifying the authenticity of news. He bemoaned the fact that major Tech companies are negligent with their obligations in Ghana while being more accountable in areas like Europe and the USA. He therefore urged the government to demand more accountability from major Tech firms such as Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp, in terms of ensuring the veracity of information shared on their platforms.

    Panel discussion by various stakeholders on misinformation and disinformation 

Mr. Richard Ahiagba, the New Patriotic Party Director of Communications, acknowledged that politicians in Ghana are sometimes responsible for spreading false information but he also insisted that, this was not the only cause of the issue. He therefore urged cooperation between all parties involved in solving the issue.

Other participants at this forum included representatives from the Diplomatic community, Academic Institutions such as the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) and Civil societies.

 

    Some Dignitaries who were present at the forum

           Students from the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI)

    Head of Broadcast Journalism Department at NAFTI, Mrs Mary Segbefia, (third right )with a staff member,(second right)and some students

Story by: Eyram Yorgbe ,Kwaku Amponsah Yeboah ,Boahemaah Sarpong Portia and Loretta   Nelson.




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